Six years before entering film
history in the title role of
All About Eve – as duplicitous, back-stabbing ingenue
Eve Harrington – Ann Baxter took a trial run in John Brahm's
Guest in the House. Her character proves to be even more
spiteful, that of a malingering but controlling waif in whose
mouth a pat of butter would stay as hard and cold as her
supposedly bum ticker.

Under the care of her young and smitten doctor, Ann arrives in
the home of his extended family somewhere on the New England
coast (high cliffs, crashing waves) for a recuperative summer.
Once settled in the guest room, she takes to her bed and her
phonograph on which she plays – shades again of
All About Eve
– `Liebestraum' over and over. She also sends her doting doctor
packing, having set her snood for his older, married artist
brother Ralph Bellamy. And then she calculatedly proceeds to
tyrannize the entire household, sending away seriatim the
domestic help (Margaret Hamilton and Percy Kilbride), Bellamy's
live-in model, and, ultimately, Bellamy's wife (Ruth Warrick)
and young daughter.

Guest in the
House, also known as Satan in Skirts, is what would
become Anne Baxter's a test run for Eve Harrington in
All About Eve
- a seemingly innocent ingénue that is using manipulation and
betrayal to get to her means. The impressive cast of characters
include Ralph Bellamy (Blind
Alley), Aline MacMahon (Heat
Lighting), Ruth Warrick (Citizen
Kane) and Margaret Hamilton (The
Wizard of Oz).

Unfortunately, all
existing home video versions of this film are edited by about 20
(or 17) minutes. There were clearly two jump cuts that can be
spotted, but maybe more. One occurs right after print damage of
capture # 1. when Ruth Warrick's character marches up the
stairs. I'm not sure if these cuts were made for Satan in Skirts
reissue, but the print is title "Guest in the House",
although any studio credits in front of the picture are missing.
This is standard poor transfer from Alpha, as can be expected,
with poor contrast, interlacing and chroma evident in some
scenes. The sound is also rather poor. No extras are included.
It's unfortunate, that so far this is the only option to see
this picture. Note that most Amazon listing erroneously list
running time of 121 minutes, taken from IMDb page.